The Kinks 2018 digital (streaming/download) remasters

Yes Lola album does seem to get a bit left out. I am still looking to buy a Japanese card sleeve of Lola (the others were easy to find). Re these new downloads (and I don't really mind how much 60s/70s Kinks I buy), I have checked HD Tracks UK and these are not available. I am UK based anyone know where I can pay for and download these? They don't show on Acoustic Sounds either.
Just on a side note am I right in believing that The Kinks Pye, RCA and Arista recordings are all under the Sony umbrella?

 

IIRC, I think HD downloads are coming at a later point in time (typical Kinks...again).

Which brings this possibility up:
When Tom Petty did his catalog for Mastered for iTunes in Fall 2014, his right hand man in the studio, Ryan Ulyate (who was once and now apparently no longer a member here) said that the lossy downloads were mastered in 24 bit, then limited and downsampled to lossy. The one album and stray track I have from the iTunes masters confirms that they are, in fact, limited. A few months later, when the lion's share of Petty's back catalog was released to HDTracks, these were new, dedicated full-resolution 96 or 48K/24bit masters, and they sound absolutely beautiful.

Then, you have another scenario with The Who, who released their iTunes downloads as merely lossy versions of the HD downloads.

And a final possibility where the HD and iTunes download are both squashed and hot (the Stones with Blue and Lonesome).

"Where you going with this, KSF?" you are probably asking me at this point. My answer: what is released to iTunes and then to HDTracks may, in fact, have different DR values, then again, they may be identical. As Dave sang in "What's in Store for Me": "[We'll] just have to wait and see..."

 

Thanks KSF that is a great reply. I have the Tom Petty HD Tracks stuff and yes they are wonderful. I also have the HD Who stuff. I have an old i tunes player but I never really download from the i tunes site so I will await HD and hope re The Kinks being like Tom's catalogue.

 

The second clip sounds louder - not a good sign. I'm happy with my old West German PRT CD of Village Green.

 

Thank you for saying it! YouTube clips on your shtty computer speakers and you’re distinguishing it from the 1960s UK vinyl?!? Jesus...

 

Probably by eating anchovies. I suggest waiting with bated breath might be a preferable option.

 

Ah, yes. Many thanks. I was sure there was a perfectly simple explanation.

 

the kinks push come to shove are my favorite band of all time at least until they left RCA.i have no love for there music after that. it sounded good the first time i heard it and i have several deluxe etc sets. ray does not sound too convinced in this clip of anything really.

 

This quote from Sandoval is very telling. The part I’ve put in bold is basically a (not so) coded message to this forum and the critiques of recent Kinks’ releases.

“Last July I travelled to London to supervise the mastering of the Kinks’ Pye catalog for BMG in a special series of mastered for iTunes releases. It is amazing to see Ray now going through these himself (as they are now, at last, reaching the public), but that is what he does with every release I work on. He is very particular about the sound of The Kinks and it has been a fascinating process.“

 

I'm only liking this post because of the insight it gives, not because I think Ray knows how to master a recording digitally.

One thing of note is that Hesrch and Inglot mastered the Yardbirds' Ultimate! and the Faces' compilations Good Boys When They're Asleep (which sounds adequate) and Stay With Me: The Anthology as well as boxsets Five Guys Walk Into A Bar... and You Can Make Me Dance Sing or Anything (CD version only). All of those are comparable to the SQ of the Kinks' 2011-14 Deluxes. The late Ian McLagan supposedly had a hand in the mastering of the Faces' stuff, but I don't know who had a hand with the Yardbirds.

 

I actually can’t speak to those particular Faces or Yardbirds CD(s), because I don’t own them, but I know that Sandoval has also noted that similar to Davies, Elvis Costello had final say as to how his Rhino reissues should sound. Graphically as well, in terms of booklets and presentation.
And I’m not saying the artist’s involvement is good or bad, I just thought that quote was interesting. I’ve always been of the belief that most reissue coordinators or mastering engineers don't have final say as to the released product.

 

Looks like these streams/downloads will be getting a hi-res release, at least at this site -

https://www.highresaudio.com/en/alb...ine-and-fall-of-the-british-empire-remastered

https://www.highresaudio.com/en/album/view/vgr3p2/the-kinks-something-else-by-the-kinks-remastered

https://www.highresaudio.com/en/alb...powerman-and-the-moneygoround-pt-1-remastered

Note that Arthur appears to be included in this series, even though it wasn't shown in the original press release.

 

It’s a shame the non-LP tracks are not available (yet) as bonus tracks or in an additional compilation.

Has anyone figured out which mixes are used for the hi res versions, mono or stereo?

 

Mono up to Something Else which is stereo.

 

These are all now available at HDTracks, including "Arthur" as 24 bit, 96Khz. To make things even better, they (I did not look at them all) appear to be on sale for $13.49, as well.

 

From the information in the corresponding thread(s), the same transfers of the Pye material were given to Vic Anesini, just level adjusted.

 

I’ve given a quick listen to these new remasters, and I would say they’re not as loud as the deluxe editions. No measurements though, for those who like graphs. Arthur for one is definitely not as loud, and not as bright either.

 

Just to clarify - Anesini had nothing to do with the new reissues AFAIK, I was just referring to those particular editions of the albums you mentioned.

 

From the HDTracks thread...

 

From the same thread:

Thank you, @B-Mike for sharing!

 

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